Sam and Julia are best friends and share everything together. Their adventures you can read in the books written by Karina Schaapman who also is active on FACEBOOK and always shows the most beautiful scenes from the Mouse Masion. pure enjoyment ! I already had her first book Mouse Masion a little while and since today I have Sam and Julia. Now I have to knit some scarfs because winter is coming :-)

Last saturday we went to Elly, because we would love to know how to make dolls or animals from fabric. Michiel looked occasionally pretty white and you could see that he still wasn't himself but he didn't want to cancel this appointment. He wanted to make a chicken and soon he was sewing at the sewingmachine.

The chicken itself is largely assembled by Elly, because despite her good explanation Michiel couldn't follow everything. He still has the headache and he said that it looks of everything goes in slow motion. As you can see there is still some work to do on the chicken.

I couldn't choose between two things, so I started first with a bear and later I made a beginning with a mouse. Both still need some work. Unfortunately later the day I got trouble with my stomach, I hope I don't get the flu again.

I told that this quilt is my own design but I referred to the lay-out, because the stitcheries I haven't invented myself. I'm making this quilt with fabric from Anni Downs and in this serie is also a fabric panel with seperate images. I have drawn a few of these onto my fabric and some I have change a bit. I have already a few ideas for making my own stitcheries, but that has to wait for now :-)

Wednesday evening 6.30 PM phone: "Honey I'm home early tonight".Me: "Is it not busy at work?".Michiel: "Yes, but I'm now at the hospital. There was an accident at work".What happened was ....Michiel had a cage with goods on the palletruck and was just talking with a colleague, when a bundle of iron pipes came forward. This came with a bang against the side of Michiel's head and he stepped down of the pallettruck because he began feeling dizzy.

Colleagues saw how Michiel collaps and they catched him. The next moment that he remembered, was that there where many colleagueas around him and they told him that he was unconscious for 2 minutes. An ambulance was called and they took him to the hospital, where different tests were done and for the certainty a CT-scan. Fortuanately there was nothing disturbing seen on the CT-scan and he was allowed to go home with his slight concussion.

The next few days he will still suffer from headaches and he has to do calm with everything. He is doing fine now and his humor is back because he said the next day that he had it now black and white that he has brains because you can't shake what ain't there. To which I said: "That you have them does not mean that you are using them".

After making my little christmas tree quilt and the stitchery hanger its time to work on my two other larger christmas quilts; Christmas Bakeshop from Michelle Ridgway and another which will be my own design making with the fabrics I bought two weeks ago from The Log Cabin.

I had done some thinking and soon I had my design draw onto paper. Now I have make a beginning, first blocks are done and tonight I'm going to work further on this one. The name of this quilt will be: Around Christmas.

You guys certainly thought today to see a photo of the wallhanger from the previous post, but unfortunately ... its not done yet. I first thought to finish it off with a piece of fabric at the edges, but after some inspection I decided to give the stitcheries some quilting.

Quilting the old way (with a ring) I can't do because then my tennis elbow starts to hurt, but when I quilt without a ring there's no problem. I also use the same timble for years now, I have tryed so much timbles but I couldn't work with them untill I came across this one. Its the Original Raised-Egde Timble where Jean Brown also works with. Thanks to the straight-up (higher then normal depth) inside of the elevation, the needle stays perfectly in the right place.

The stitcheries are done and today I'm going to finish them to a wallhanger. The stitcheries are freebies from Michelle Ridgway who also is the designer of the Christmas Bakeshop which I'm stitching. The stitchery on top you can find on her blog, the other I got with my order. Her stitcheries are so nice, so nice that there are 2 more patterns under way to me, namely Tea & Cakes (bears !!) and A Christmas Tail (mice !!!).

To the counter on my website I saw that the explanation about the paper piecing with freezerpaper was very well attended. Its always a question if others understand the explanation and I was therefore pleased with the responses that said it was. So a stimulans for me to place more often an explanation about a technique, maybe reverse applique next time?

Today and the next few days I'm going to work with a, for me, new stitching thread. A gradient thread in beautiful colors from House of Embroidery. Jacqueline fromThe Log Cabintold me last saturday during the exhibition about this thread she has in her shop and today came a skien with the post so I can try it.

When I saw the color she send me, I knew immediately what I'm going to stitch with this thread. What ? That I will show you when I have done it :-) But that the color of the thread, suits the two fabrics that I had ready for this project,that's one thing that is certain.

As promised I would give an explanation about paper piecing with freezerpaper as I have show on the exhibition in Kessenich. As an example I had a Christmas tree drawn and I made it this week 4 times and then made it into a Christmas quilt with the name " Christmas trees 4 you ". This Christmas quilt I'm going to send this week to a friend in the USA, so she will have it in time for Christmas.

The explanation about paper piecing with freezerpaper I converted to a PDF file with plenty of photos so that everything is very clear to see. This PDF and also the Christmas tree block you can download on my website and you can find it under paper piecing. Click HERE to download it. I would love to hear if you find the explanation clear and usable.The Christmas tree block you can download HERE.

In the message of yesterday I showed about the trunkshow of Supergoof and today I show you about the quilt exhibition. On saterday and sunday there where a lot of people who came to look at all the beautiful things. From the many photo's I choose a few that show how cosy it was these 2 days.

If you ran up the stairs, then there were also workshops, just as in the 2nd room. Of the free workshops was made good use, people were making patchwork stars, owls and pinkeeps. I myself have explain to several people the paper piecing with freezerpaper method (I will post about that in a few days).

The christmas tree was full with all my cross stitch ornaments and if I wanted it, I could have sold them all these two days, so many people ask for them. But ... they all went back home with us because I don't sell any of them. If I give ornaments away, it is as a present for someone.

Everywhere you saw bear families, one sweeter then the other. Most of them were made by Elly and her sister Cindy, who had organize this exhibition together with Rina. Look at the bear in the back on the left, this one has in his arms a little rabbit and on his feet little rabbit slippers. How sweet is that?

But Wendy had somethng else with her for me ... the brown iron quiltstandard that i got from my kids for my 50th birthday. The size is 61 x 33 x 92 cm, large enough to hang several quilts and that a nice place in our house gets.

I think I have showed you how wonderful the exhibition was. Elly, Rina and Cindy I give my compliments for such a wonderful organization.

There is one last thing that i have to show you because Elly and Cindy gave me each a beautiful bear they made themself for my birthday. The bear on the left I get from Cindy and I already gave him the name Sloebertje ( translation is: a poor beggar). The bear on the right I get from Elly, real angel bear that I gave the name Bengeltje (don't have a translation for this one).

Be kind to Mother Nature

"If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales."~Albert Einstein

The beauty of nature

Spread your wings and let the fairy in you fly! ~Author Unknown

A fairy ...

When you feel a little breeze, or notice a tickle, or need to sneeze or find your things are rearranged or something seems a little strange, look very closely and you might see sparkly dust, or a buzzing bee: Behold! a fairy with gossamer wings has come to show you wonderful things.